Brian May gets a powder gel manicure at his local nail salon to strengthen his fingernails so he can play guitar on stage with Queen.
The 71-year-old guitarist relies on acrylic nails to protect his hard-worn finger tips when he’s hammering the fret board of his instrument and he admits the beauty treatment has "changed his life" on tour and would recommend them to "any guitarist".
Speaking to The Daily Mail newspaper, he said: "These days I’m dependent on powder gel. My fingernails don’t hold up to the guitar playing. In fact, these nail coverings have really changed my life on tour. I recommend them to any guitarist. They’re hard as iron. When the coverings finally fall off about two months later your nails are in a hopeless state. So back to the salon you go."
Following the release of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – the critically acclaimed biopic about the British rock band and their iconic singer Freddie Mercury – Queen announced they are embarking on a North American tour during the summer of 2019 with singer Adam Lambert.
The group will perform 23 shows in the United States and Canada next July and August for their ‘Rhapsody Tour’.
In a statement, Brian said: "This is a great opportunity, our last tour featured our most ambitious production ever and got us our best notices ever. So we decided to rip it apart and get even more ambitious! Watch out, America!"
Adam, 36, has been providing vocals for group on tour since 2012 and he cherishes his time on the road with Brian and drummer Roger Taylor as it’s a different vibe to the music he makes on his own.
He previously said: "I’ve never felt like working with Queen has put any sort of a damper on my solo work. I don’t feel as though we can compete with each other. I think that actually, they have coexisted very well, timing wise. The collaboration with Queen is little chunks of time that I go on the road with them, and then I’m done so it’s left me plenty of time to sort of flip-flop into my solo career."
Brian May’s rocking manicure
